Air distributor for electric fans



Feb. 12, 1935. w. A. SPEAR R DISTRIBUTOR FOR ELECTRIC FANS Filed May 31, 1934 Patented Feb. 12, 1935 g I UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

1,990,801 AIR DISTRIBUTOR FOR ELECTRIGFAN S Walter A. Spear, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Victor Electric Products, 1110., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 31, 1934; Serial No. 728,224

' 10 Claims. (01. 230-274) This inventionrelates to ventilating fans and specification, the invention consists of the feamore particularly tothe provision of a rotary tures of construction, the parts and combinadistributor for subduing the direct air blast eftions thereof, and the mode of operation, or their feet and spreading the air current over, a relaequivalents, as hereinafter described and set tively wide field of operation. forth in the claims. 5

It is recognized that heretofore various forms In the drawing wherein is shown the preferred, of deflectors havebeen employed in association but obviously not necessarily the only form of with electric fans which are mounted stationembodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a perspecarily relative thereto and also rotary deflectors tive view of a ceiling fan with which the present which have been positively driven by gear or. rotary distributor has been assembled. Fig. 2 is 10 belt connections with the fan motor. a side elevation of the assembly of the electric In the present instance the deflector or disfan and rotary air distributor. Fig. 3 is a front tributing unit is mounted for rotation wholly inview thereof. Fig. 4 is a view of the parts disdependently of the fan parts, and is driven solely assembled. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional 15. by the vortical influence of the air discharged View of the mounting and governing means. from the fan. Air currents from a rotary fan Like parts are indicated by similar reference do not move in straight lines but possess a helical characters throughout theseveral views. motion, advantage of which is taken in the While the present invention is applicable to present instance to thereby drive an independvarious forms of rotary fans operable indifferent ently rotatable symmetrical distributor unit. 7 positions, for illustrative purposes only and with 20 The objectof theinvention is to simplify the no intent to unduly limit the invention it is structure as well as the means and mode of opillustrated as applied to a conventional form of eration of, air spreading and distributing means electric ceiling fan. for rotary fans, whereby such devices may not In the drawing, 1 is the motor of a typical eleconly'be economically manufactured, but will be trio fan, of which 2 are the fan blades, and 3 25 more efficient 'in use, uniform in action, autois the usual fan guard of cage-like construction 'matic in operation,of few parts and. unlikely to surrounding the fan blades having at'its center get u Of rep I a disc 4 from which the guard wires radiate and A further object of the invention'is to enable upon which the rotary deflector or distributor the use of rotary fans without establishing obis mounted. 3 jectionable drafts or air blasts and effect dis- The distributor comprises a peripheral ring 5 tribution of the air currents over a relatively upon which are mounted parallel symmetrically large area. arranged blades or vanes 6 extending straight A further object of the invention is to proacross the unit, but transversely curved outwardvide an air distributing and deflector device 1y, away from the center of the unit. The respecwhichv is'applicable to electric fans of conventive series of vanes or blades at opposite sides tional type. of the center line of the unit are curved out- A further object of the invention is to provide wardly in opposite directions. Attached to and a rotary air distributor operative solely by the extending medially between-the adjacent vanes influence of the moving air ourrents'without imor blades of the respective series thereof is a 40 posing a driving load upon the fanmotor. bridging bracket '7 supporting a hub 8 in axial A further object of the invention is to provide position relative to the distributing unit.

governing means enabling the distributor unit Projecting from the fan guard 3-is a trunnion to be operated at different rates of rotation and stud 9 attached to the central disc or button differentially relative to the fan rotation. 4 of the guard upon which the distributor un t 45 Afurther object of the invention is to provide is mounted by means of the hub 8 for rotary a ai distr b or W h m y be mounted directmotion concentrically with the fan blades 2. The 1y upon the conventional fan guard for free roouter portion of the trunnion stud is screw threadtation; ed and also flattened or splined on one or oppo- A further object of the invention isto'obviate site sides, to receive thereon non-revoluble cup disturbance of papers and light objects by the washers 12 between which is interposed ahelical air currents while retaining the cooling effect of spring10. The cup washers are retained and adair circulation. justed to tension the spring 10 by anadjust- With the above. primary and other incidental ing nut 11 upon the screw threaded end of the 5, objects in View, as. will more. fullyappear in the stud 9. By varying the tension of the spring,

that the distributor would assume a balanced condition. Such however is not the case. The whirling or vortical influence'of the aircurrents discharged from the fan acting in like rotative direction upon the vanes at oppositesides of the center with cumulative effect induces a rapid whirling motion of the distributor which is controlled by the adjustment of the tension of the spring 10. to rotate at substantially the same speed as the fan'blades, the subduing and distribution of the aircurrent will be greatly minimized. However, by retarding the distributor rotation and causing it to turn differentially relative to the speed of the fan, the air currentsare directed laterally over a relative wide area and the radial relation of such lateral deflection will be constantly changed, preferably, although not necessarily at a slow speed relative to the rotation of the fan blades.

The device is especially desirable in offices and in homes where the beneficial effect of air circulation and change may be had without the objectionable drafts, and disturbance of papers and light material or objects which would otherwise be blown about. a I I From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages. y e

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is-not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is there.- fore claimed in any'of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims. r

Having thus described my-invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a rotary fan adapted to axially discharge a vortical air stream, of an axially offset, symmetrical rotary distributor unit mounted concentrically with the fan including a peripheral ring, a 'plurality'of parallel deflector vanes extending across the ring at opposite sides of thecenter thereof, the deflector vanes at each side ofthe center being disposed in contrary deflecting relation, a trunnion stud upon which the distributor is journaled for rotation independently of the fan under the influence of air currents discharged therefrom, a hub upon the distributor engaging the stud, a brake disc on the stud bearing upon the end of the hub, a tension spring surrounding the stud beyond the hub and brake disc and bearing upon the latter and an adjustingnut threaded upon thestud for varying If the distributor unit is permitted" the tension of the spring to regulate the speed of the distributor relative to that of the fan.

2. The combination with a propeller type rotary fan, of a symmetrical rotary air distributor unit including parallel deflector vanes disposed at opposite sides of the center of rotation of the air distributor unit, the deflector vanes at opposite sides of the center of rotation being oppositely turned to deflect air currents laterally away from each other, and a mounting upon which the distributor unit is mounted for free rotation independently of the fan under influence of the vortical air currents discharged by said fan.

3. The combination with apropeller type rotary fan adapted to axially discharge a vortical air stream, of an axially offset, rotary air distributor mounted for rotation concentrically with the fan, including a hub and deflector vanes arranged inirelatively balanced opposed deflecting relation whereby the angle of incidence of one series of vanes is opposed to that of-the other series of vanes, a trunnion stud upon which the distributor hub is mounted, a pair of spaced collars on the stud, one of which bears upon the end of the hub with braking effect, a helical spring interposed between the collars, and an adjusting nut screw threaded upon the trunnion stud and bearing upon one of the collars to vary the tension of the springby adjustment of the nut. P I

4. The combination of a rotary fan directing air currents parallel to the elements sweeping out a hyperboloid with deflector means normally stationary when under'the influence of unidirec tional air currents, said means being unsymmetrically arranged with respect to the air currents generated by said fan so as to be rotated thereby.

5. The combination of a rotary fan directing air currents in paths parallel to the elements sweeping out a hyperboloid with deflector means.

symmetrically arranged with respect to an axial plane of said rotary fan and normally stationary when under influence of unidirectionalair currents but unsymmetrically arranged with respect to the airflow propelled by said fan so as to be rotated thereby and adjustable means for changing the relative speed of said deflector means with respect to the speed of the fan. i

-6. The combination of a rotary fan directing the flow of air in paths parallel to elements sweeping out a hyperboloid with deflector means symmetrically arranged with respect to unidirectional currents flowing parallel to the axis of said fan and normally stationary when under influence ofsaid unidirectional currents but unsymmetrically arranged with respect to the currents propelled by said fan -so as to cause the rotation of said means to thereby deflect the air current. I a

'7. An attachment for a propellertype rotary fan adapted to discharge axially a vortical air current comprising a deflector including a rotatably mounted ring, a series of vanes secured to and across said ring, said vanes having wide in-,- termediate deflecting portions and. narrow ends arranged at an angle with respect to the axis of the fan so that the'leading endofithedefiector intersects the vortical air currents andthe trailing end is substantiallyparallel-to the vortical air currents so as to rotate the deflector.

8. An attachment fora propeller type rotary fan adapted to discharge axially avortical air current including a. plurality of deflector blades rotatably mounted in pairsiion eitherside-of the axis of the fan, each of said blades including wide medial portions for deflecting air currents and ends inclined with respect to the air currents whereby the leading end intersects the vortical air currents to rotate the blades, the other end extending substantially parallel to the vortical air currents.

9. An attachment for a propeller type rotary fan adapted to discharge axially a vortical air current including a rotatably mounted deflector blade having a wide intermediate portion offset with respect to the axis of the vortex and comparatively narrow end portions sloping in the same direction with respect to the axis of the vortex so that the leading end intersects the vortical air currents and the trailing end extends substantially parallel thereto, thereby rotating the deflector.

10. An attachment for a propeller type rotary fan axially discharging a vortical air current including a deflector having a rotatably mounted blade offset with respect to the axis of the vortex and angularly disposed thereto, whereby the leading end of the blade intersects the vortical air currents and the trailing end being arranged substantially parallel thereto so as to rotate the blade to deflect the air in various directions.

WALTER A. SPEAR. 

